Willowemoc Wild Forest, NY, Long Pond Shelter.


This Saturday I embarked on a 3.8 mile trek to Long Pond Shelter in the Willowemoc Wild Forest. Located in Catskill State Park between Ulster and Sullivan counties, it is only approximately a 2.5 hour drive from New York City. This weekend five humans and three dogs went on the excursion. I've attached a larger portion of the map, where I found this trail, below.

There are two approaches to this shelter. We opted for the longer route. (The first is clearly marked on the Flugertown Road.) The other way we estimated is just under two miles. We started from the parking at Black Bear Road. (Parking marked "P" on the map.)

Starting West down Basily Road, it is drivable but there is nowhere to park at the end. It follows, a red blaze the entire way. At the very beginning there is a stream that offers clear running water to pump off, if needed. It starts the steepest the trail will be at any point. This part of the trail is uneventful, other than it ends at a "Buckaroo Camp". It's nothing more than a clearing of private property with a house and some farming equipment. This is about a mile in.

Continue down Basily Road into the woods. Here the road is much less accessible other than by SUV. That said, I don't know if it's allowed to drive through, nor would I suggest it. There were tire marks on the trail, so it's obviously "doable". I consider this to be the part where we were actually getting into the woods.
Upon entering, immediately there is another running stream which looks like you can pump for water should you need it. This will be the last of the clear water we saw, before getting to Long Pond, unless you count the downhill rain run off that was running down the trail from the morning's showers. The hills are easy, but watch for mud pits after rain (I fell in up to my calf) and unsteady ground, as much of the way is littered with rocks.

After another mile, the trail "jack knifes". It is marked with signs reading "snowmobile trail", with one specifically pointing toward a lean-to shelter. The trail's blaze is still Red. Take the left hand turn onto a trail that almost doubles back the way you came on the hard left.
Here you are 1.8 miles from the shelter. Quickly after you start this way, a new clearly marked path towards the lean-to leads to the right. That will go for approximately one mile before turning again; this time to the left.
At that turn, it is posted to be .95 miles to the lean-to. It will end at the lean-to. If you miss this last turn, you will be reminded about a quarter of a mile back which way the lean-to is (behind you now). Otherwise, that is the way to the Flugertown Parking.

The lean-to shelter is in good condition and so is the fire pit (even if it is built a bit high). There is also a privy house. The open space near the shelter is limited and there is not much level ground for a tent, should you want to use one. There was an abundance of wood.
Long Pond is not really visible (at least not while the trees mostly still had their leaves) from the shelter. Directly in front of the shelter is a steep but safe walk down, about 50 yards, to the water's edge. The shoreline has lots of weeds and blueberry bushes lining it, but there are access points to pump and swim (though we didn't dare to in mid-October). The only backside is the weedy taste of pumped water.

Some extra notes: We heard coyotes all night and gun shots all day, though we had no actual encounters. Around the pond, there is an intricate system of beaver dams, if you want to take a hike around.

Happy Camping!

Oxshoe Pond, NY

It has been a while since I've had a good trip in, so I'm glad to report on a camping excursion 12 of us took to Pharoah Wilderness Area. The trails are well maintained and marked, as well as being of different lengths and difficulty levels. In short, this backcountry camping destination is perfect for all backpacking needs.

Of the many lakes and ponds to chose from in the area, we chose the closest location with a lean-to at Oxshoe pond. From the trailhead, this was just over a mile hike in. It is mostly a wide, even trail. As I was to arrive at night, with backpacking/camping virgins, I chose this easy locale. If you have a truck or a all-wheel-drive vehicle, you can drive right up to the trailhead to park. Otherwise, from where I've marked "parking" on the map, its approximately a mile. The road is full of pot holes, rocks and at the very end (we parked before this point, since we only had 4-wheel-drive cars, not SUVs) there is a flooded area that is about 2 ft. deep.

Driving up from NYC, took around 4 hours on Friday evening. We knew we'd be hiking at night, so we prepared for it with the proper lighting equipment. The trail changed from a red blaze to a blue blaze about half way in. We missed the turn towards the lean-to area, but were alerted to this mishap with the changing of the blaze to yellows and back-tracked. When we got there, the novices were unaware of the beauty that surrounded them. The four gentlemen who had come in that morning to secure the lean-to for our party were waiting on us.

When they woke up to find the pond just steps from the lean-to, they were happy that the "hardships" they endured were well worth the rewards. Those that didn't fit in the wooden structure pitched tents in the surrounding areas. The fire ring is well weathered and sturdy. There are different level ground areas along the way to accommodate other campers.

Just across the pond from the camp site is a rock ledge that is deep enough for a safe jump, but low enough to get people to actually do it. There are signs for fishing permits being required. We had them and the poles, but didn't catch anything, despite their taunting jumps mid-water. We did see some fun wildlife, including an enormous alligator snapper in the water.


During the day, a small delegation from our group took it upon themselves to summit Mt. Pharoah. I opted for the sit by the water and pretend to fish with a glass of bourbon choice for the day. Grueling through a steep upward climb, sometimes having to use their hands, those that finally peaked over the Wilderness area were rewarded with a grand view of their surroundings. Luckily, I'd done it before and got to be reminded with pictures.